Bonjour! We are now in our second city in France. After a very long 450 mile bus ride, we finally made it! The day got off to a slow start. Our bus was pulled over by the German highway patrol for a random search. We had to get off the bus for over an hour for the police to run all of their checks. We ended up getting back on the bus at around 12:20. We had gotten off the bus before 11, so our leaders told us not to eat, and that we would be stopping for lunch in a short while. After watching transformers, and 3 hours, everyone was getting so hungry and most were dying to go to the bathroom. There was no food or place to stop in site. We made it over several mountains and through long stretches before eating a very late lunch. We stopped at a gas station with minimal food, but I think most were happy to get anything. I got pretzels and a very bad pre-made sandwich but I was happy since my bladder was empty and my tummy had something in it.
The rest of the drive wasn’t too much longer. We ended up getting to Dijon a little after 7. Since there was no welcome dinner in this city, we were free to walk around. A large group of us went in search of a place for dinner that had a television in it. Germany was playing Austria in a very important Euro cup game. We finally found a Cuban/Mexican/French fusion restaurant called Havana. The food was decent but we had a huge tv! The meal wasn’t very big so we ended up stopping by McDonalds on the way. I got a very good m&m mcflurry before heading back to the hotel. Now Amanda and I are watching some grey’s anatomy in French before we head to bed!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
My last day in Germany. It was a fun city and I will be very sad to leave. After getting breakfast with Philipp and Andy, we had music lecture. This lecture lasted an hour and a half and just may have just been the longest class of my life. Philipp ended up coming to class with us and I felt especially bad for him. It was pretty boring and I was so glad when it was all over!
At 10:30 some of the group loaded the bus to go to Dachau. This was an optional trip, but I had been looking forward to it. Dachau was a 40 minutes drive outside of Munich. Dachau was used as a concentration camp until 1945 when it was liberated. The grounds were so beautiful and it was hard to imagine the suffering that went on there. There was a huge museum there that gave very detailed descriptions of the history of the camp. Also, several jail cells and the barracks were open. We walked around I was just trying to take it all in. the grounds also had several religious memorials to the people who had died. The last place that we went was the most chilling. We walked to the crematorium. It was a very strange feeling walking through the building. It consisted of a staining area, “showers” (which were the gas chambers), several “death rooms” where they kept dead bodies, and finally the cremation room with 4 very large ovens. It was a very creepy experience. But I think that it was very important to see.
After running back to the bus, we headed back to the hotel. Philipp grabbed all of his belongings from Andy’s room before so he could leave this afternoon. We walked around trying to find something fro lunch. However, we found something even better! While we were walking we all of a sudden saw many people lined up. Philipp asked what was going on and they said that there was a parade coming through! I was so excited. The parade hadn’t started yet so Philipp and I found a very nice grassy spot to lie down for a little while. The parade started and I loved it! It was people from the regions that had different sections. They were all dressed up. Most of them had their own bands. There were several wagons and horses. But most of all it was just fun to see how they were dressed.
After about 40 clans had gone by, we had started to get really hungry, but we were on the wrong side of the street to head to the city center. So, we started to walk towards the beginning of the parade, hoping to find the starting line to walk around behind the parade. Instead, we found a really cute café. We just decided to sit down and have a coke (and he had a fanta) to watch the rest of the parade. After I think about 80 something clans/regions, the parade was over. We walked further into the city and ended up stumbling onto another festival. This festival was for some sort of Irish thing. They had many booths for games and food.
Philipp had been talking about a certain dish for a while and I was so happy when we finally found a place that sold it. It consists of these little egg noodles cooked in a skillet with lots of cheese, butter, onions, and covered in a little bits of bacon. Sounds good right! It was! I am craving some more right now! To top it all off, we got something else quite delicious. We found a stand that had chocolate covered fruit. We both got a skewer with strawberries; his dipped in white chocolate and mine in milk chocolate. It was so good! It was the perfect ending to a great meal.
After we had successfully stuffed ourselves, we walked through the booths and found Philipp’s godfathers sister. She was very cute! My German is very bad and she spoke some English, so I didn’t really get to talk directly to her, but she seemed like a very sweet woman. After this, we went on a search for my jewelry from Germany for my collection. We found a booth that had reasonably priced things, and I got a very pretty black and red necklace. I know all the UGA girls will be very jealous of my black and red jewelry!
Philipp then really needed to head back home. We walked the train station for him to buy his ticket. We ended up having about an hour and half until his train left, so we got to spend a little more time together. We wandered around a little more before sitting in the train station. It was nice catching up! After Philipp boarded his train, I headed back to the hotel to see what the plans were for dinner.
Amanda and I met up with some people to go walk to the English Garten, a place that was recommended by Philipp. It is a very large park; I think I heard that it was the same size or larger than central park. It was very nice. It had several streams, lakes, and very vast open fields. After walking around the park for about an hour and a half, we met up with some other people from our group at a beingarten. They had a huge big screen television showing the Turkey soccer game. It was very exciting and so many people around us were getting so into it! At around 11:30, Turkey cam out victorious! I was happy for them since there was so many Turkish fans sitting and watching the game with us. We decided to head back to the hotel then.
When walking back, all we could hear was car horns. When we got the rode, we found out why. All the turkey fans had all fled to the streets. They had simply parked their cars on the street and were just going crazy! They were so excited and we just having a huge party in the streets. We watched them for a little while outside the metro station before heading back. It had started to rain and was getting very cold. My bed was very welcoming that night!
At 10:30 some of the group loaded the bus to go to Dachau. This was an optional trip, but I had been looking forward to it. Dachau was a 40 minutes drive outside of Munich. Dachau was used as a concentration camp until 1945 when it was liberated. The grounds were so beautiful and it was hard to imagine the suffering that went on there. There was a huge museum there that gave very detailed descriptions of the history of the camp. Also, several jail cells and the barracks were open. We walked around I was just trying to take it all in. the grounds also had several religious memorials to the people who had died. The last place that we went was the most chilling. We walked to the crematorium. It was a very strange feeling walking through the building. It consisted of a staining area, “showers” (which were the gas chambers), several “death rooms” where they kept dead bodies, and finally the cremation room with 4 very large ovens. It was a very creepy experience. But I think that it was very important to see.
After running back to the bus, we headed back to the hotel. Philipp grabbed all of his belongings from Andy’s room before so he could leave this afternoon. We walked around trying to find something fro lunch. However, we found something even better! While we were walking we all of a sudden saw many people lined up. Philipp asked what was going on and they said that there was a parade coming through! I was so excited. The parade hadn’t started yet so Philipp and I found a very nice grassy spot to lie down for a little while. The parade started and I loved it! It was people from the regions that had different sections. They were all dressed up. Most of them had their own bands. There were several wagons and horses. But most of all it was just fun to see how they were dressed.
After about 40 clans had gone by, we had started to get really hungry, but we were on the wrong side of the street to head to the city center. So, we started to walk towards the beginning of the parade, hoping to find the starting line to walk around behind the parade. Instead, we found a really cute café. We just decided to sit down and have a coke (and he had a fanta) to watch the rest of the parade. After I think about 80 something clans/regions, the parade was over. We walked further into the city and ended up stumbling onto another festival. This festival was for some sort of Irish thing. They had many booths for games and food.
Philipp had been talking about a certain dish for a while and I was so happy when we finally found a place that sold it. It consists of these little egg noodles cooked in a skillet with lots of cheese, butter, onions, and covered in a little bits of bacon. Sounds good right! It was! I am craving some more right now! To top it all off, we got something else quite delicious. We found a stand that had chocolate covered fruit. We both got a skewer with strawberries; his dipped in white chocolate and mine in milk chocolate. It was so good! It was the perfect ending to a great meal.
After we had successfully stuffed ourselves, we walked through the booths and found Philipp’s godfathers sister. She was very cute! My German is very bad and she spoke some English, so I didn’t really get to talk directly to her, but she seemed like a very sweet woman. After this, we went on a search for my jewelry from Germany for my collection. We found a booth that had reasonably priced things, and I got a very pretty black and red necklace. I know all the UGA girls will be very jealous of my black and red jewelry!
Philipp then really needed to head back home. We walked the train station for him to buy his ticket. We ended up having about an hour and half until his train left, so we got to spend a little more time together. We wandered around a little more before sitting in the train station. It was nice catching up! After Philipp boarded his train, I headed back to the hotel to see what the plans were for dinner.
Amanda and I met up with some people to go walk to the English Garten, a place that was recommended by Philipp. It is a very large park; I think I heard that it was the same size or larger than central park. It was very nice. It had several streams, lakes, and very vast open fields. After walking around the park for about an hour and a half, we met up with some other people from our group at a beingarten. They had a huge big screen television showing the Turkey soccer game. It was very exciting and so many people around us were getting so into it! At around 11:30, Turkey cam out victorious! I was happy for them since there was so many Turkish fans sitting and watching the game with us. We decided to head back to the hotel then.
When walking back, all we could hear was car horns. When we got the rode, we found out why. All the turkey fans had all fled to the streets. They had simply parked their cars on the street and were just going crazy! They were so excited and we just having a huge party in the streets. We watched them for a little while outside the metro station before heading back. It had started to rain and was getting very cold. My bed was very welcoming that night!
Friday the Thirteenth! June 13, 2008
Today just might have been one of my favorite days on the trip. I absolutely love Munich. After having a great breakfast, we had an hour of art this morning before heading to the Alte Pinokothek. The museum was very big! I had no idea so many amazing works of art were housed there. I stayed for about an hour before grabbing Andy to meet Philipp. Philipp is living in a small town outside of Munich and took the train to come and visit us! We finally found him in one of the botanical gardens close to the city center of Munich. I was so excited to see him! It is always so nice to see a familiar face when you have been gone so long, especially if you have not seen them in 7 months!
We needed up being so lucky that we just so happened to be in Munich this particular weekend. It turns out that the city was celebrating its 850th anniversary this weekend. Needless to say, the city was insane! It was so cool! Everywhere the festival was going on. The crowds were very dense full of Germans dressed in Lederhosen! It was so awesome to see every all decked out and see the music and the culture of the town. There was a couple of stages set up around the city as well as tents selling things and most of all, all the breweries had tons of benches set up with lots and lots of beer.
We walked through the city center for a little while, which was a very difficult thing because the crowds were so thick. We stopped at a huge department store to get Andy some batteries and to get me my very favorite chocolates! They are called Milka and are filled with some sort of delicious strawberry filling. They are just so good and I have been looking forward to getting to Germany so I could get these chocolates. It made my day!
Next, we walked to a very pretty church. I think that the most interesting thing about the church was a story that Philipp told us. The tale goes like this: when the architect was commissioned to build the church, the devil came to visit him. The devil told him that he should design the church to have no windows in it. When the architect refused, the devil said that if he put windows in the church, he would threaten his life. The church was erected, but it had windows. The devil again visited the architect. When the architect was asked why there were windows, he told the devil that you could see no windows from the exact place that he had been standing at the time. There is now a gold footprint where the devil stood and no windows are visible from that spot.
There is also another interesting y about the church. It was one of the only buildings left standing after all of the bombings during the war. This was not because it was a religious place, but because it had two tall, towers and those were used to locate and navigate the other bombing sites.
After we saw the church, we walked over to a Beirgarten for lunch. It was so pretty. The weather was a little chilly but it was a nice day and I loved watching all of the people. Both Andy and Philipp got pig’s knuckle with several sides I did not recognize and a liter of beer. I left Philipp order for me. He got me some sort of white bratwurst and one of the largest pretzels that I have ever seen in my life! It was so good! I had a glass of wine with lunch and it was all so tasty!
After lunch, we hurried to make our appointment at the Pinokothek Modern museum. It was one of the most odd places that I have ever been! The art was very…. Modern…. They had a BMW frozen, exhibits full of just appliances, a room with just zip ties, and even a room that just consisted of 2 sets of strings hanging form the ceiling. It was so strange. Most if it I just did not think of as art. There was even a whole exhibition of just black canvases! Weird.
After the museum, we walked back towards the city center. We walked to Maximillains which is a very exclusive shopping street with everything from Roberto Cavali to Prada and Dolce. It was a very cool street and it was interesting to see the kinds of people that shop there. I found one pair of pants on sale… for 800 Euro…. I did not make that purchase!
After the window-shopping, we headed to Houfbrauoaus. This was probably one of my most favorite locations in all of Munich. It is the largest beer hall in Germany (I think maybe Europe too)? But it was so cool. There were just tables and tables of people drinking. It was awesome to watch and listen to everyone. We sat at a table with one other American along with several Germans. The Germans all loved listening to Philipp switch so quickly between an accents less German to an accent less English. They just loved him. But I have to say, I think they loved Andy even more! They were just all over him. Grabbing his arms, dancing, and singing!
Here, I decided, if I was ever to drink a beer, this had to be the place. I had never ever had a beer, much less finished one! So, Philipp ordered me a Rublen. It consists of beer mixed with a lemon soda. It was better than any beer that I have ever tasted. I finally finished my very first beer! A monumental moment I a am sure. I also had my second gigantic pretzel of the day! We ended up staying at the Houfbrauhaus for much longer than we had expected. After we realized what time it was, we quickly headed back to the hotel to meet up with people for dinner.
After a quick change, we went to try to find something to eat. We stopped at the first Kebab stand that we passed which was a very bad idea. It was pretty bad and I didn’t eat much of mine. But the most entertaining thing about it was that the owner somehow convinced some of the guys that it wasn’t turkey, but it was kangaroo meat. They all thought that it was so cool. That was until Philipp told them that it the meat really just came from a bird.
After this, our group ended up splitting up. We were heading to a place greatly recommended by Philipp’s friends. It is known as the east art district and is just an area comprised of a ton of different nightclubs and bars. I was so excited to go out after all the stories that I had heard about Munich nightlife. Now, every single place that I have gone in all of Europe never ever asked me for an id. But, this had to be the night. didn’t it. I was wearing a dress that didn’t have pockets so I just had left Philipp hold some of my cash. Sadly, we had trouble getting into most places even though I clearly looked 18. We did get a couple of drinks and I still really enjoyed myself. We even met some really cool guys on the metro who were entertaining to say the least!
We headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night hanging out. It was such a great day in Germany! I had a lot of fun walking around with Philipp and I had never been so happy to be with a local!
We needed up being so lucky that we just so happened to be in Munich this particular weekend. It turns out that the city was celebrating its 850th anniversary this weekend. Needless to say, the city was insane! It was so cool! Everywhere the festival was going on. The crowds were very dense full of Germans dressed in Lederhosen! It was so awesome to see every all decked out and see the music and the culture of the town. There was a couple of stages set up around the city as well as tents selling things and most of all, all the breweries had tons of benches set up with lots and lots of beer.
We walked through the city center for a little while, which was a very difficult thing because the crowds were so thick. We stopped at a huge department store to get Andy some batteries and to get me my very favorite chocolates! They are called Milka and are filled with some sort of delicious strawberry filling. They are just so good and I have been looking forward to getting to Germany so I could get these chocolates. It made my day!
Next, we walked to a very pretty church. I think that the most interesting thing about the church was a story that Philipp told us. The tale goes like this: when the architect was commissioned to build the church, the devil came to visit him. The devil told him that he should design the church to have no windows in it. When the architect refused, the devil said that if he put windows in the church, he would threaten his life. The church was erected, but it had windows. The devil again visited the architect. When the architect was asked why there were windows, he told the devil that you could see no windows from the exact place that he had been standing at the time. There is now a gold footprint where the devil stood and no windows are visible from that spot.
There is also another interesting y about the church. It was one of the only buildings left standing after all of the bombings during the war. This was not because it was a religious place, but because it had two tall, towers and those were used to locate and navigate the other bombing sites.
After we saw the church, we walked over to a Beirgarten for lunch. It was so pretty. The weather was a little chilly but it was a nice day and I loved watching all of the people. Both Andy and Philipp got pig’s knuckle with several sides I did not recognize and a liter of beer. I left Philipp order for me. He got me some sort of white bratwurst and one of the largest pretzels that I have ever seen in my life! It was so good! I had a glass of wine with lunch and it was all so tasty!
After lunch, we hurried to make our appointment at the Pinokothek Modern museum. It was one of the most odd places that I have ever been! The art was very…. Modern…. They had a BMW frozen, exhibits full of just appliances, a room with just zip ties, and even a room that just consisted of 2 sets of strings hanging form the ceiling. It was so strange. Most if it I just did not think of as art. There was even a whole exhibition of just black canvases! Weird.
After the museum, we walked back towards the city center. We walked to Maximillains which is a very exclusive shopping street with everything from Roberto Cavali to Prada and Dolce. It was a very cool street and it was interesting to see the kinds of people that shop there. I found one pair of pants on sale… for 800 Euro…. I did not make that purchase!
After the window-shopping, we headed to Houfbrauoaus. This was probably one of my most favorite locations in all of Munich. It is the largest beer hall in Germany (I think maybe Europe too)? But it was so cool. There were just tables and tables of people drinking. It was awesome to watch and listen to everyone. We sat at a table with one other American along with several Germans. The Germans all loved listening to Philipp switch so quickly between an accents less German to an accent less English. They just loved him. But I have to say, I think they loved Andy even more! They were just all over him. Grabbing his arms, dancing, and singing!
Here, I decided, if I was ever to drink a beer, this had to be the place. I had never ever had a beer, much less finished one! So, Philipp ordered me a Rublen. It consists of beer mixed with a lemon soda. It was better than any beer that I have ever tasted. I finally finished my very first beer! A monumental moment I a am sure. I also had my second gigantic pretzel of the day! We ended up staying at the Houfbrauhaus for much longer than we had expected. After we realized what time it was, we quickly headed back to the hotel to meet up with people for dinner.
After a quick change, we went to try to find something to eat. We stopped at the first Kebab stand that we passed which was a very bad idea. It was pretty bad and I didn’t eat much of mine. But the most entertaining thing about it was that the owner somehow convinced some of the guys that it wasn’t turkey, but it was kangaroo meat. They all thought that it was so cool. That was until Philipp told them that it the meat really just came from a bird.
After this, our group ended up splitting up. We were heading to a place greatly recommended by Philipp’s friends. It is known as the east art district and is just an area comprised of a ton of different nightclubs and bars. I was so excited to go out after all the stories that I had heard about Munich nightlife. Now, every single place that I have gone in all of Europe never ever asked me for an id. But, this had to be the night. didn’t it. I was wearing a dress that didn’t have pockets so I just had left Philipp hold some of my cash. Sadly, we had trouble getting into most places even though I clearly looked 18. We did get a couple of drinks and I still really enjoyed myself. We even met some really cool guys on the metro who were entertaining to say the least!
We headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night hanging out. It was such a great day in Germany! I had a lot of fun walking around with Philipp and I had never been so happy to be with a local!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hallo from Germany!!! Today we drove to Munich! The drive was very pretty. We even got to see a ton of the Austrian countryside. There were so many small towns in the valleys, which were amazing to see! We got to the hotel around 5:30. Our welcome dinner started early at seven. The food was very good! For the first course, we had penne pasta. For the second course, we had some potatoes that were kind of like hash browns that were also very tasty. I am very proud of myself that I am starting to like new things. That is twice now that I have finished potatoes portions! That was served with a baked chicken with a white sauce. I finished every bite! But the best part was definitely the desert! It consisted of a chocolate shell filled with some sort of strawberry sherbet, then the chocolate shell was topped with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry glaze and then there was a buttermilk sauce on the bottom. It was so good! I could have eaten like 4 portions!
We ended up staying in tonight. I read some of my book while Amanda and I waited for her friend to get to the hotel. A sorority sister of hers is living in London and came to visit for the weekend. We stayed up talking to her and went to bed early. I can’t wait for tomorrow!
We ended up staying in tonight. I read some of my book while Amanda and I waited for her friend to get to the hotel. A sorority sister of hers is living in London and came to visit for the weekend. We stayed up talking to her and went to bed early. I can’t wait for tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Today we went to Venice! We took the train into the city, which took about 40 minutes (which I used to sleep). Once we got there, we had to book it to the Accedemia museum, because our train had been delayed. We finally got there after the fastest walking that I think we have ever done. The people at the hotel said that it would take us an hour to walk there, but with Fred as our leader, we did it in a little under 20 minutes!
The museum was nice and we stayed there for about two hours before we got unbearably hungry. We got some pizza and gelato, my regular meal it is becoming, and sat outside on the ground. We quickly learned that the pigeons are ruthless here! AAfter lunch, we made our way over to the Guggenheim museum. I stayed for a short while before leaving for the train station.
I had asked my leaders about going to meet Meredith at the station. They all seemed too excited for me to be able to see her! They also said that I would be completely fine walking by me since Venice is one of the safest cities in all of Europe. I really liked walking over there alone. It was very calming and refreshing to be away from the group for a while and just walk.
Meredith and her friend Joe got to the station around 4:20. I was just about to bust when I saw her! I was so excited! It was so nice to see someone from home!
The three of us wandered around the city all afternoon, even getting my second cone of gelato for the day! We Have to see some very famous places like the St. Marco square and the bridge of Sighs. It was a very nice afternoon. We ended up with a very nice dinner. We passed a restaurant which wasn’t very crowded and we were drawn in. they had some very cheap specials and said that they would not charge us any cover! The meal ended up being bery delicious and we even ended up getting free bread!
We headed back to the train station around 10:30 to head back to Padova. We were so tired and I am sure we all fell asleep on the train at one point or another. After getting back to the hotel, we all settled into bed! Me and mer shared one while Joe stayed in an extra bed in Andy’s room, which happed to work out! It was so nice seeing Meredith and I am so sad that she is leaving tomorrow!
The museum was nice and we stayed there for about two hours before we got unbearably hungry. We got some pizza and gelato, my regular meal it is becoming, and sat outside on the ground. We quickly learned that the pigeons are ruthless here! AAfter lunch, we made our way over to the Guggenheim museum. I stayed for a short while before leaving for the train station.
I had asked my leaders about going to meet Meredith at the station. They all seemed too excited for me to be able to see her! They also said that I would be completely fine walking by me since Venice is one of the safest cities in all of Europe. I really liked walking over there alone. It was very calming and refreshing to be away from the group for a while and just walk.
Meredith and her friend Joe got to the station around 4:20. I was just about to bust when I saw her! I was so excited! It was so nice to see someone from home!
The three of us wandered around the city all afternoon, even getting my second cone of gelato for the day! We Have to see some very famous places like the St. Marco square and the bridge of Sighs. It was a very nice afternoon. We ended up with a very nice dinner. We passed a restaurant which wasn’t very crowded and we were drawn in. they had some very cheap specials and said that they would not charge us any cover! The meal ended up being bery delicious and we even ended up getting free bread!
We headed back to the train station around 10:30 to head back to Padova. We were so tired and I am sure we all fell asleep on the train at one point or another. After getting back to the hotel, we all settled into bed! Me and mer shared one while Joe stayed in an extra bed in Andy’s room, which happed to work out! It was so nice seeing Meredith and I am so sad that she is leaving tomorrow!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Today we stayed in Padova. We first had breakfast and had a ton of class. We had class from 8-11:15 today! It seemed to be so long. After, we walked to get some lunch before heading to the Scrovegni Chaple. I know that I keep continuing to say that I got the best meal of the trip, but it was true this day! The pizza I got was so good! It was a very thick and soft crust. I really want to go back!
We met our group at the chapel in a park. The chaple was very pretty. Even though it was very small, it was the most controlled environment that I have ever been in. you go inside and sit in a small room for 15 minutes while they decompress the air. Then, you can go in. only when it is you groups turn to leave can they open the door. We were only allowed in with very small groups.
After the chapel, some of us walked to the only laundry mat in the city. Hannah, Hilary, Amanda, and I all managed to get all of our colored clothing in one machine and all of our whites in a small one. This saved a ton of money, because laundry was very expensive. However, it took almost 2 hours to dry the clothing. While sitting in the laundry mat, the man who ran it started talking to us. He was so cute! He spoke no English, only Italian, but seemed to enjoy us very much. He heard us say the words engineers, and he went and got this huge binder full of sketches he had! He was very talented and loved to show us all the things that he had done. He even made us photocopies and we got him to sign them! He was so adorable!
After doing laundry, we went back to the hotel. I went and worked on my close reading for almost 2 hours. Then, Jamie, David and I headed over to the Mexican restraint across the street. I was so excited to get Mexican; however, it turned out to be very different. We all ordered daiquiris / margaritas. TThen, we ordered chips, because you do not get then free. It was 5 euros and I think we may have gotten about 8.5 chips an hour after we got there. Then, I got a side of Mexican rice, which was very odd but tasted ok. I did get some very delicious quesadillas though! I asked for them to have just cheese, not with the chili or jalepeopnes that they were supposed to come with. It was so good! It was kind of like a fried hot pocket oozing with cheese! It was so good! Dinner took quite a while but afterwards, I was able to get back to the hotel and skype Meredith! I think that she is going to come tomorrow so I am so super excited about that! Yay!
We met our group at the chapel in a park. The chaple was very pretty. Even though it was very small, it was the most controlled environment that I have ever been in. you go inside and sit in a small room for 15 minutes while they decompress the air. Then, you can go in. only when it is you groups turn to leave can they open the door. We were only allowed in with very small groups.
After the chapel, some of us walked to the only laundry mat in the city. Hannah, Hilary, Amanda, and I all managed to get all of our colored clothing in one machine and all of our whites in a small one. This saved a ton of money, because laundry was very expensive. However, it took almost 2 hours to dry the clothing. While sitting in the laundry mat, the man who ran it started talking to us. He was so cute! He spoke no English, only Italian, but seemed to enjoy us very much. He heard us say the words engineers, and he went and got this huge binder full of sketches he had! He was very talented and loved to show us all the things that he had done. He even made us photocopies and we got him to sign them! He was so adorable!
After doing laundry, we went back to the hotel. I went and worked on my close reading for almost 2 hours. Then, Jamie, David and I headed over to the Mexican restraint across the street. I was so excited to get Mexican; however, it turned out to be very different. We all ordered daiquiris / margaritas. TThen, we ordered chips, because you do not get then free. It was 5 euros and I think we may have gotten about 8.5 chips an hour after we got there. Then, I got a side of Mexican rice, which was very odd but tasted ok. I did get some very delicious quesadillas though! I asked for them to have just cheese, not with the chili or jalepeopnes that they were supposed to come with. It was so good! It was kind of like a fried hot pocket oozing with cheese! It was so good! Dinner took quite a while but afterwards, I was able to get back to the hotel and skype Meredith! I think that she is going to come tomorrow so I am so super excited about that! Yay!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Today we drove to Venice! It wasn’t that bad of a drive. I got to watch the big lebousiky. However, we did stop at a very bad sandwich shop. Other than that, it was an uneventful day.
We found out that we were staying in a city just outside of Venice called Pad ova. It is a very nice city and there looks like there is a ton to do. I think though, once again, everyone is very disappointed that we are not actually staying inside the city. The train is going to cost 5 euros each way too.
We got to the hotel around seven and had our welcome dinner at eight. It was a mediocre dinner or salad (with a very strong dressing), chicken, potatoes, and spinach. Then a desert that I think may have just been straight brandy. After dinner, I went back to the room to shower. We were too tired to go out, so everyone stayed in the mezzanine area of the hotel to play card games. I played Egyptian rat-screw, signs, spoons, and golf. It was overall a very relaxing evening and I welcomed the early bedtime!
We found out that we were staying in a city just outside of Venice called Pad ova. It is a very nice city and there looks like there is a ton to do. I think though, once again, everyone is very disappointed that we are not actually staying inside the city. The train is going to cost 5 euros each way too.
We got to the hotel around seven and had our welcome dinner at eight. It was a mediocre dinner or salad (with a very strong dressing), chicken, potatoes, and spinach. Then a desert that I think may have just been straight brandy. After dinner, I went back to the room to shower. We were too tired to go out, so everyone stayed in the mezzanine area of the hotel to play card games. I played Egyptian rat-screw, signs, spoons, and golf. It was overall a very relaxing evening and I welcomed the early bedtime!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Our last day in Rome L it was sad as Rome was one of my favorites. The day was pretty stressful. We had a music lecture that got out at 9:30. On the schedule, and at the welcome dinner, it was made known to the group that we were having a tour of roman churches from 10:30-12:30, and that we would meet at the lobby at 9:45. Amanda and I had written the times down as well. We went up to our rooms to drop our stuff off and were back in the lobby at promptly 9:55. However, no one was to be found! We were baffled, as we had discussed with people in the elevator that we were leaving at 10. Turns out, that they had already left.
Amanda and I were upset and tried running to the train. We knew that they were going to the Parthenon sometime during the tour so we decided to just take the metro there and try to find the group. We took the metro, got off, and never found anyone. It was a pretty rainy day so we were just going to walk around and maybe duck in a few stores to look around. After the second store, wee just so happened to run into Eric. In the middle of Rome, it was very cool to run into someone. He had just called someone and got directions to the church they were currently at. We were able to walk over there together to meet up with the group. Our leader apologized profusely and was very nice about it. I know that it was a misunderstanding, but I was still a little upset. Our professor also apologized and we were not counted tardy or absent.
We continued on with the group on the walking tour of the Roman churches. We have to see some very amazing cathedrals. After a little over 2 hours, our tour concluded in the Parthenon, which was also very beautiful. After the tour ended, we grabbed a sandwich and headed to see the Triebe fountain. It is one of the most well recognized places in Italy. Also, there is a myth that if you throw three coins over your shoulder and don’t look back, you will one-day return to Rome. We did this, but unfortunately, none of us could resist the urge to look back!
After the fountain, it started to grow late. We quickly made it over to the Spanish steps before dark before getting back on the metro. Back at our hotel, we packed and ate one of the most delicious dinners of the trip at the hotel. It was a very laid back and relaxing day with the small exception of the mix up of the times in the morning. I will be very sad to leave rome!
Amanda and I were upset and tried running to the train. We knew that they were going to the Parthenon sometime during the tour so we decided to just take the metro there and try to find the group. We took the metro, got off, and never found anyone. It was a pretty rainy day so we were just going to walk around and maybe duck in a few stores to look around. After the second store, wee just so happened to run into Eric. In the middle of Rome, it was very cool to run into someone. He had just called someone and got directions to the church they were currently at. We were able to walk over there together to meet up with the group. Our leader apologized profusely and was very nice about it. I know that it was a misunderstanding, but I was still a little upset. Our professor also apologized and we were not counted tardy or absent.
We continued on with the group on the walking tour of the Roman churches. We have to see some very amazing cathedrals. After a little over 2 hours, our tour concluded in the Parthenon, which was also very beautiful. After the tour ended, we grabbed a sandwich and headed to see the Triebe fountain. It is one of the most well recognized places in Italy. Also, there is a myth that if you throw three coins over your shoulder and don’t look back, you will one-day return to Rome. We did this, but unfortunately, none of us could resist the urge to look back!
After the fountain, it started to grow late. We quickly made it over to the Spanish steps before dark before getting back on the metro. Back at our hotel, we packed and ate one of the most delicious dinners of the trip at the hotel. It was a very laid back and relaxing day with the small exception of the mix up of the times in the morning. I will be very sad to leave rome!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
After breakfast and an Architecture lecture, we were off to the Vatican! I was split up from the group this morning and I was a little freaked out. Luckily, I was with two boys, so I felt safe and we were able to figure out how to get there. We went to the wrong train station, but finally got there. I was worried because the professors made a big deal about going in right at our reservation time. We had gotten to the Vatican a little late, but after talking to a security guard, he kindly let us in free of charge to find our group. Luckily, they were still standing very close to the entrance and we had plenty of time.
We had a special tour guide who was very nice and very knowledgeable. We walked around the museum and saw many very famous sculptures, paintings, and tapestries. We were also able to look at the gardens (which make up a very large area of the Vatican) and also one of the Pope’s former apartments. Next, was the Sistine Chapel! It was much much smaller than I had imagined but still very beautiful. IIt was jammed packed tight and you are not allowed to take pictures or talk. It was a little stressful, but it was a great thing to see. We also were able to go into St. Peter’s cathedral and his tomb.
After the Vatican, Hannah, Amanda, and I went to grab some lunch before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the concert. We sat at an outdoor café and I had the best four cheese penne pasta that I think I have ever had! I then was able to haggle for a very cute t-shirt and some much-needed sunglasses.
We went back to the hotel, and got ready for the concert. The concert was in a very beautiful hall where we listened to an orchestra and a world-renowned Spanish guitarist. It was a very nice concert and very different than everything that I have ever been to. Our teacher said the concert would not last more than 1.5 hours, which it didn’t. While the concert was only 45 minutes, the encore was almost 2 hours! It was a little crazy but good.
After the concert, we walked over to the coliseum to go to a pub-crawl, something that has been recommended to us by pretty much everyone. The group that went was almost 35 people from our oxford program. We also ran into people visiting Rome from the Greece/Italy trip as well as GT Lorraine, which was absolutely crazy. I did not know anyone on those trips, but it was pretty cool to run into people’s friends in Rome!
The pub-crawl was pretty fun. The place were we met had unlimited beer/wine for an hour. Also, at the next four bars that we went to had a shot as you came through the door. I didn’t buy any drinks so it ended up being a pretty cheap way to walk around the city at night in a large group. I thought that it was very cool the people leading the trip. They were mostly UGA graduates! It is such a small world. One guy even said that he knew Carol Forehand! The pub-crawl ended in apparently a pretty exclusive nightclub whose cover was more expensive than the cost of the whole pub-crawl. (So I felt like I definitely got my money’s worth and I got a t-shirt)! It was a very interesting place and was different from places in the US. We caught a cab back pretty early and got a great deal on it. I feel like we are finally getting a really good handle on getting around the city.
We had a special tour guide who was very nice and very knowledgeable. We walked around the museum and saw many very famous sculptures, paintings, and tapestries. We were also able to look at the gardens (which make up a very large area of the Vatican) and also one of the Pope’s former apartments. Next, was the Sistine Chapel! It was much much smaller than I had imagined but still very beautiful. IIt was jammed packed tight and you are not allowed to take pictures or talk. It was a little stressful, but it was a great thing to see. We also were able to go into St. Peter’s cathedral and his tomb.
After the Vatican, Hannah, Amanda, and I went to grab some lunch before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the concert. We sat at an outdoor café and I had the best four cheese penne pasta that I think I have ever had! I then was able to haggle for a very cute t-shirt and some much-needed sunglasses.
We went back to the hotel, and got ready for the concert. The concert was in a very beautiful hall where we listened to an orchestra and a world-renowned Spanish guitarist. It was a very nice concert and very different than everything that I have ever been to. Our teacher said the concert would not last more than 1.5 hours, which it didn’t. While the concert was only 45 minutes, the encore was almost 2 hours! It was a little crazy but good.
After the concert, we walked over to the coliseum to go to a pub-crawl, something that has been recommended to us by pretty much everyone. The group that went was almost 35 people from our oxford program. We also ran into people visiting Rome from the Greece/Italy trip as well as GT Lorraine, which was absolutely crazy. I did not know anyone on those trips, but it was pretty cool to run into people’s friends in Rome!
The pub-crawl was pretty fun. The place were we met had unlimited beer/wine for an hour. Also, at the next four bars that we went to had a shot as you came through the door. I didn’t buy any drinks so it ended up being a pretty cheap way to walk around the city at night in a large group. I thought that it was very cool the people leading the trip. They were mostly UGA graduates! It is such a small world. One guy even said that he knew Carol Forehand! The pub-crawl ended in apparently a pretty exclusive nightclub whose cover was more expensive than the cost of the whole pub-crawl. (So I felt like I definitely got my money’s worth and I got a t-shirt)! It was a very interesting place and was different from places in the US. We caught a cab back pretty early and got a great deal on it. I feel like we are finally getting a really good handle on getting around the city.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Today was amazing! After starting out the day with breakfast, our music lecture, and then our art lecture, we were off to see Rome! We rode the metro to begin our walking tour of ancient Rome. We walked around the ruins a bit before trying to enter the forum. Unfortunately, things had changed since the last year, and there was an admission fee. One of the leaders fell through again and did not bring money to purchase tickets. The walking tour was ended really early and we were left on our own. Most people went back to the hotel to change for the concert that we were having later that night, since we would not have time after the museum that was scheduled for the afternoon.
However, we were vary prepared! My group, already dressed and ready for the concert, headed over to the Coliseum! It was very cool. We paid for a tour guide to take us around and bought a roma pass for the entry. The roma pass was very helpful since it let us get into the coliseum, the forum, other museums, as well as giving us unlimited metro rides. We learned a ton of cool things about the coliseum. One of the neatest things that I didn’t know was that they used to spend 4 days to flood the stadium with aqueducts to have naval battles! But, they only did it twice since they discovered that it was far too small for that purpose. We also learned a lot about how the gladiator fights worked.
After the coliseum, we ended up having to take a taxi to the museum Borgese. It was located in a very beautiful park were we wandered forever trying to find a sandwich. We got to the park before everyone else so we ended up having a very long while to sit and enjoy the park! The museum here was the most beautiful that I have ever been to. It was a very lavish home and had a very incredible collection of art. They do not advertise the museum and the other groups who have gone through Rome did not get to go in, however, the wait list is very long to get a reservation so we were lucky to go! It was the best art and several of my new favorite works are there including Apollo and Persephone.
After the museum, we started walking towards the concert hall. We were booking it so we could go and see the soccer stadium on the way. When we were getting pretty close, we ran into our music professor who seemed very upset. He explained that even though he asked the lead of the program to book the concert 4 months ago, she had booked it for the wrong night. So, we ended up hopping back on the metro to head back to our hotel for dinner.
Some people had gone to a pizza place across from our hotel the night before and said that it was very good and mostly cheap. I had no idea how cheap though! Everyone that ordered before me just picked out a slice of pizza, which ended up being around 4.50 euros (they measured it by the pound). I saw a sign for a combo meal, margherita pizza and a coke for 3.50. I ordered this expecting to get a small slice, which I was fine with. I paid and he handed me the coke and left. After a couple of minutes, I asked another man who was working at the counter. He told me that my pizza was almost done. I had no idea what we going on because they had just handed everyone else their slice of pizza. All of a sudden, the first guy came back with a whole pizza! I was so excited that not only was my meal half the price of everyone else’s, but I got a coke and probably 4 times a much food! I was very happy. We all went back to a person’s room who had a corner balcony to sit outside and enjoy our pizza.
After dinner, I and Amanda worked on trying to get internet. I never really got it, but Amanda was able to check her email. While we were sitting in the lobby, there was a group that was meeting to go to a Professor Persnall recommended gelatio place. We quickly were on board even though we were already in our PJ’s. It was a great decision! We went to this local hangout, where for just 1.80 Euro, I got a cone that was bigger than my face! Before, I was paying 3-4 Euro for just one scoop. This place, I got a medium cone and got I think about six scoops, fresh whip cream, and little cookies! It was a sweet ending to the day!
However, we were vary prepared! My group, already dressed and ready for the concert, headed over to the Coliseum! It was very cool. We paid for a tour guide to take us around and bought a roma pass for the entry. The roma pass was very helpful since it let us get into the coliseum, the forum, other museums, as well as giving us unlimited metro rides. We learned a ton of cool things about the coliseum. One of the neatest things that I didn’t know was that they used to spend 4 days to flood the stadium with aqueducts to have naval battles! But, they only did it twice since they discovered that it was far too small for that purpose. We also learned a lot about how the gladiator fights worked.
After the coliseum, we ended up having to take a taxi to the museum Borgese. It was located in a very beautiful park were we wandered forever trying to find a sandwich. We got to the park before everyone else so we ended up having a very long while to sit and enjoy the park! The museum here was the most beautiful that I have ever been to. It was a very lavish home and had a very incredible collection of art. They do not advertise the museum and the other groups who have gone through Rome did not get to go in, however, the wait list is very long to get a reservation so we were lucky to go! It was the best art and several of my new favorite works are there including Apollo and Persephone.
After the museum, we started walking towards the concert hall. We were booking it so we could go and see the soccer stadium on the way. When we were getting pretty close, we ran into our music professor who seemed very upset. He explained that even though he asked the lead of the program to book the concert 4 months ago, she had booked it for the wrong night. So, we ended up hopping back on the metro to head back to our hotel for dinner.
Some people had gone to a pizza place across from our hotel the night before and said that it was very good and mostly cheap. I had no idea how cheap though! Everyone that ordered before me just picked out a slice of pizza, which ended up being around 4.50 euros (they measured it by the pound). I saw a sign for a combo meal, margherita pizza and a coke for 3.50. I ordered this expecting to get a small slice, which I was fine with. I paid and he handed me the coke and left. After a couple of minutes, I asked another man who was working at the counter. He told me that my pizza was almost done. I had no idea what we going on because they had just handed everyone else their slice of pizza. All of a sudden, the first guy came back with a whole pizza! I was so excited that not only was my meal half the price of everyone else’s, but I got a coke and probably 4 times a much food! I was very happy. We all went back to a person’s room who had a corner balcony to sit outside and enjoy our pizza.
After dinner, I and Amanda worked on trying to get internet. I never really got it, but Amanda was able to check her email. While we were sitting in the lobby, there was a group that was meeting to go to a Professor Persnall recommended gelatio place. We quickly were on board even though we were already in our PJ’s. It was a great decision! We went to this local hangout, where for just 1.80 Euro, I got a cone that was bigger than my face! Before, I was paying 3-4 Euro for just one scoop. This place, I got a medium cone and got I think about six scoops, fresh whip cream, and little cookies! It was a sweet ending to the day!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Today we drove… it wasn’t that far or that bad. It is actually nicer than I thought having bus rides. It gives a day for my feet to rest! J we stopped in a town called Orgiaz in Italy on the way to Rome. It was a pretty small town that we reached after an extremely long walk up a sharp hill. We went to see a chapel and to stop for lunch. Unfortunately, a lot of the girls including myself were not able to get in. our shorts did not cover our knees. I had pants on the bus with me if I got cold, but had taken them off to get lunch since it was very hot outside. I was a little disappointed, but we heard the chapel wasn’t that great. We stopped at a very nice little café to have pizza/calzones and a glass of wine. The pizza was so big and great for the price!
When we got to the hotel, we were excited that we were staying relatively close to the city. However, that excitement was quickly squashed when me and Amanda got to our room. Others had already checked in and said how large and spacious their rooms were. After finally locating our room (which took a while because it was right behind the elevator) we could barely get our suitcases in the door! We were pretty much in a maintenance closet behind the elevator. Others had a walk in closest, 2 (or in some case 3) queen size beds, a huge bathtub, and a balcony. We had, a very small bed, with no room on either side, a facet on the wall for the shower, and a toilet you could only get to once you maneuvered behind the door. We usually aren’t complainers, but after seeing the other people’s rooms, we wanted to ask if we could switch. The front desk informed us that they were booked for the night but to check early the next morning. We didn’t really unpack to keep our hope alive for another room.
We walked downstairs for the welcome dinner at 8, only to find out that it had switched to 8:3-. I had just enough time to take a very quick shower before dinner. The dinner was so good! We had free bread and water. The first course was a very delicious bowtie pasta with cracked pepper and cherry tomatoes. For the second course we had a chicken breast and fries. Finally, for the third course, we had a very yummy cookies and cream gelatio!
After a very satisfying dinner, we decided to explore the neighborhood. We found a very small Guinness pub. The bar was very chill and I got one very good glass of the house white wine. After a short visit, it was time to go to bed. We have a very long day exploring Rome tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
I was excited to begin my last day in Florence. It ended up being a better city than I thought, but I am so excited about being in Rome tomorrow! We started out the day first taking the bus into the city, and then walking for about 30 minutes to the Uffizi museum. The walk was very pretty along the river but it was pretty long. The Uffizi was pretty neat. It contained a lot of works but Botticelli, whom we had studied a lot. In addition, it had several paintings by Di Vinci, which is always exciting. They were not nearly what I was expecting, but it was still a good thing to see.
After the first museum, it was relatively late in the afternoon and we were starving for lunch. We settled on a cafeteria-style café because we could sit outside without a cover and we thought it would be cheap.
Things in Italy are so expensive because not only do they charge you for food, but also a different cover fee depending on if you sit inside, outside, or to-go. They charge you for water, with no refills. They charge you for bread that they will just bring out, and you have to make sure they take it back before you touch it. However, I think the most absurd thing, it that they will come out and set flowers out on your table, and it you do not say that you don’t want them, they will charge you for that too!
Well, the food didn’t end up being very good or very cheap. I ate it all though and was relatively satisfied. We then started to walk to the Accademia museum. The walk took so much longer than expected but we finally got there. We got to see the very famous work, David by Donatello. It was very large, and I doubt that I would come past David’s knee. This museum was optional, but I was very glad that I went and got to see it in person!
After the museum, many people were very tired and decide to go back to the hotel to sleep, but I really wanted to see more of the city. I elected to go with a group who was hiking a mountain to see the most beautiful overlook of Florence. I do not think that I have ever climbed so many stairs but it was well worth it! The view was amazing and I had a lot of fun with the people that I went with!
After hiking back down, it was time for dinner. We walked past the place where I had gotten lunch earlier. Someone pointed it out, and luckily, they all took my advice when I cringed at the site of it! Instead, we went just one street over and found the most charming little café. The people were so nice to us! They also gave us a very good deal since there was a larger group of us. They talked to us for a while because one man that worked there had lived in the US for a couple of months and just loved Americans. It was a great dinner. I had the house white wine and rigatoni pasta, which again was very yummy.
After dinner, we stopped by a market and I haggled to get a 100% cashmere pasgmina (I have no idea how to spell that)! It is a really pretty color and I was really excited about the price! We then headed back to catch the shuttle. We got back to the hotel and I really had to go to the bathroom. However, Amanda had left for dinner. The people at the front desk were very nice though and let me in the room. After showering, Amanda and I watched some of Heavyweights and it was off to bed!
After the first museum, it was relatively late in the afternoon and we were starving for lunch. We settled on a cafeteria-style café because we could sit outside without a cover and we thought it would be cheap.
Things in Italy are so expensive because not only do they charge you for food, but also a different cover fee depending on if you sit inside, outside, or to-go. They charge you for water, with no refills. They charge you for bread that they will just bring out, and you have to make sure they take it back before you touch it. However, I think the most absurd thing, it that they will come out and set flowers out on your table, and it you do not say that you don’t want them, they will charge you for that too!
Well, the food didn’t end up being very good or very cheap. I ate it all though and was relatively satisfied. We then started to walk to the Accademia museum. The walk took so much longer than expected but we finally got there. We got to see the very famous work, David by Donatello. It was very large, and I doubt that I would come past David’s knee. This museum was optional, but I was very glad that I went and got to see it in person!
After the museum, many people were very tired and decide to go back to the hotel to sleep, but I really wanted to see more of the city. I elected to go with a group who was hiking a mountain to see the most beautiful overlook of Florence. I do not think that I have ever climbed so many stairs but it was well worth it! The view was amazing and I had a lot of fun with the people that I went with!
After hiking back down, it was time for dinner. We walked past the place where I had gotten lunch earlier. Someone pointed it out, and luckily, they all took my advice when I cringed at the site of it! Instead, we went just one street over and found the most charming little café. The people were so nice to us! They also gave us a very good deal since there was a larger group of us. They talked to us for a while because one man that worked there had lived in the US for a couple of months and just loved Americans. It was a great dinner. I had the house white wine and rigatoni pasta, which again was very yummy.
After dinner, we stopped by a market and I haggled to get a 100% cashmere pasgmina (I have no idea how to spell that)! It is a really pretty color and I was really excited about the price! We then headed back to catch the shuttle. We got back to the hotel and I really had to go to the bathroom. However, Amanda had left for dinner. The people at the front desk were very nice though and let me in the room. After showering, Amanda and I watched some of Heavyweights and it was off to bed!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Ciao! Hello from Italy! After a ten-hour bus ride, we finally made it into Florence. The drive here was so much more enjoyable than I ever thought it would be. The view was simply breathtaking. We drove all along the western coast of Italy and it was so pretty. I took ton of pictures that I cannot wait to show you!
We stopped for lunch in Italy during the trip and it was surprisingly different. At many public places like gas stations and so restraints, you are not allowed to sit while going o the bathroom! The restrooms look like they have toilets, but they just do not have any seat to them! They also have signs with a person sitting with a big red circle with a line through it. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the “squatters.” also, they have a basket to pay or make a donation before using a restroom, even if it has no attendant.
I was excited to order in Italian, as I had been taught a few key phrases. I got very nervous though because I ended up being the person to order first! I got up to the counter and said that I would like a Margarita Pizza in Italian. However, the cashier answered me in English! It seems like most people here will speak English to you even if you do know a little Italian.
The pizza here was so good! It was everything I thought it would be! Lunch was great too. Amanda and I sat with some guys from our trip whom we had never met before. One had an Italian phrase book so we spent lunch practicing! We learned all of the basics, such as “where is the bathroom?” “Excuse me,” and “please.” we also pretty much had a free show of the most intense PDA that I have ever seen!
After lunch, we still had about a 5.5-hour ride. I used the time to watch Superbad (which Mer, is a “world that I would like to live in one day.: J ) Some guys also started quoting Eurotrip when we were on the bus and talking about how much they would like to see it. Luckily, I came prepared! I put it on a thumb drive, which I think pretty much every person on the trip has now copied in order to watch it. (This is also, what Amada and I did as well)!
We got into Florence around 7:30, and had our welcome dinner at eight. We had some very good penne pasta in a marinara sauce. IIt was pretty basic, but it was done well. This was followed by some fruit for desert. Our leaders went over the itinerary for the city. Everyone got pretty upset when we found out that we were a 30 minute bus ride outside of the city. That was better than the 45 minute metro commute that we had in Barcelona, but people are pretty fed up with staying so far out of the city and having to pay our own way to get in. they were complaining that we shouldn’t have to pay so much money to stay near a city, and worry about the bus schedules and getting in and out of the cities and having to take taxis at night (which luckily I have not had to do yet). I can see why everyone was upset, and I am disappointed about the distance, but I understand just how expensive everything is and I think we should all just make do!
After dinner, a large group was going out, but we decided that we should just take the night to relax in the room since we would have just a supper busy day tomorrow. Hannah and Hilary came over and we had so much fun just sitting and talking. Best of all, we got to get in bed relatively early!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Bonjour Hello from
Our next stop was in
We only drove about an hour after this stop to reach the hotel. Me and Amanda were on the bottom floor of the motel by ourselves. We didn’t feel the safest some somer very nice guys volunteered to switch with us so we were with a larger group on the thirs floor. After dropping our stuff in the room and skyping a bit, I went to meet a group to walk around with our art professor. Amanda was really tired and decided to stay back at the hotel, but I was very ready to go!
We walked very shortly before reaching the Palace ampitheatere, which was very beautiful and just seemed like a smaller version of the coliseum. We then walked to Maison Carrée. We took some very cute pictures. Including some thae “celebrated our denim, which originated in
We got on the of the most delicious chocolate mouse cakes ever along with some fresh whip cream. I don’t think that I have ever said that any desert was better than something that was chocolate, but this next desert just killed it! We got an apple dish that consited ot a flat sweet bread, covered in cooks apples and a sugary sauce topped with some amazing ice cream. This was so good! I just sat there and kept saying “I love
After dinner, we walked back to our second historical site where there was an outdoor concert. It was so nice taking in the scene and the music, which was pretty good. We then walked some more. We found some crazy French kids who asked us to take pictures. We thought that they had a camera to that they wanted us to use, but It just turned out that they wanted to get in a picture with us and wanted us to take it. We thought that they were just excited that we were Americans, and they didn’t speak any English. Turns out that they were just extremely high though and offered us some pot! We were a little taken aback. After immediately declining, we quickly told them good bye. We decided to head back to the hotel around 10.
I got back and took a shower, and after talking to my parents one last time, (In a more normal voice than before) I climbed into bed. This was the first time that I was laid my head down before midnight and I was so happy! Although I had some of the weirdest dreams of my life, it was a great nights rest.
May 29, 2008
Today was both a busy and fun day. After a music lecture we were riding the bus to a spot that was deemed “the most beautiful spot in the world.” our lecture had let out late so unfortunately 5 people got let behind and didn’t get to see it. However, I was fortunate to get on the bus extra early (cause the maid was cleaning my room so I went down to the lobby to use the restroom when a professor hurried me to the bus. I was very upset cause he said “the bus is waiting on you!” I asked if I had time to use the restroom and he replied no. I ran to the bus, only to find out that I was the first one on and sat there alone for 5 minutes before the next people started getting there. They still wouldn’t let me go and use the restroom though!)
Our bus dropped us off at the bottom of one of the steepest hills of my life! After walking up the hill to the park designed by Gaudi, we got a chance to sit at the park for a little while. We had about 30 minutes before we started to go on the “hike.” this hike, was pretty a very steep rock and dirt path. It was a rough climb that seemed to take forever. There were a lot of parts where I was literally using my hands to pull myself over rocks and large boulders! But it was worth it. The view was incredible! We ended up staying up there for about an hour before finally heading down.
We grabbed lunch in the park and hung out at the café for a bit. We then started out trek back down the hill. We were going to go straight to the casa Mila apartments where our group was meeting several hours later to kind of scope it out before we headed elsewhere. However, the person leading did not do the greatest job and the walk took us about 5 times longer than expected. When we finally got there, we were exhausted. But, we had just enough time to stop for some ice-cream! Yay! I got a very delicious chocolate and fruit gelatio that was so good.
We then went to the Casa Mila apartments, another famous design by Gaudi. These apartments were amazing! The building is very different than anything you might see in the united states. We got to walk around the courtyard, see a sample apartment, and also hand out on the roof terrace. After sunbathing for a while, it was time to leave to go to I think my favorite part of the trip so far, the Sangrada Familia.
We thought that we were giving ourselves plenty of time to walk to the church because our professor was still at the apartments talking to students. However, about halfway there, the professor ran by us saying “your not going to make it if you keep up that pace!” our whole class was running behind him. Apparently, we all stood there and talked about the apartments for so long, he had lost track of time. We ended up getting there in plenty of time though! And it was so worth it!
The Sangrada Familia started being built in 1882, and is still being built today. The estimated completion date is in
After walking down the like 49403854032020 stairs we grabbed some dinner before heading back to the hotel. After talking to my parents and doing some more homework, I got to go to bed at a relatively decent hour of 1:30! Yay!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Today was such a great day! Although long, it was so much fun. We woke up and had the typical breakfast at 7:30. While not as delicious as the first hotel’s breakfast, it was ok. After a quick music lecture we all walked to get on the tram. We learned about the metro system and used the tram to get to the train station. When we got to downtown
We were then set free for lunch where we went to a small deli/café type of restaurant. I opted for the cheap chicken nuggets with nachos and one of my only cokes for the trip. It was pretty good and I felt satisfied. We walked around for a good bit before we had to meet up with our group in the next couple of hours. We ducked into a couple of store and just walked around to see the city. We stopped at an espresso café to get our fit in a beautiful square (I got a chocolate milkshake since I am not too big on the coffee). The milkshake was very thick and rich, however, it was not the highlight of this stop. All of a sudden, all the boys started standing up and laughing. When we moved closer to the door, we saw that they were looking at a man who had an extreme lack of clothing! This man, who was completely naked, was just walking around a bus stop. He proceeded to get on his bike and ride around the square for a couple of minutes. The craziest part though was that no one else seemed to be amused or even giving the guy a second glance! They just walked past him completely normally! A cop car drove by and didn’t stop or do anything either! It was pretty entertaining, and we were almost positive that he must have been on some sort of drugs. When we were leaving, he had struck up conversations with several cars at a stoplight and a man at the atm. At least he seemed friendly!
We walked over to the Museo Picasso but were about an hour early. Several people stopped in at a bar/internet café to check face book. Me and Amanda went to get out post card for the city (a collection that we had both started) and to look for some mascara (my liquids bag got lost somewhere in the third airport). I was relieved to find both. The mascara was pretty pricy though. It was 11 euros (about $18) which was so much better than the 24 Euro (38 dollar one that I had found in
We entered the Museo Picasso, and this was by far the coolest museum that we have been to. All the works were really neat to look at. I hadn’t realized how diverse Picasso was. Not only did he do his later cubism/abstract paintings, but he also did many realism things when he started out in
After the museum, we traveled to the southwest corner of the city. There, we took a metro up into a mountain and then hiked the rest of the way up. One of our professors (a man that has traveled the world literally several times) said that we would find the second best view of the city (the first best view belongs to a place that also holds his spot for the best view in the world, where we will go tomorrow). The hike was pretty long and strenuous but it was so worth it! It was just an amazing view. From it, you could see all of the city as well as the harbor. We spent several hours up there taking in the view with our lollypops before climbing back down.
At the bottom of the mountain, we decided to grab some dinner before heading back to the hotel. We stopped at a place that our professor had recommended. Café Taxidermy is famous for fasionistas to see and be seen. (Also, it was supposed to be pretty cheap). We sat outside in a beautiful square with an amazing view. When we got there and asked for a menu, we were informed that dinner does not start being served until 8:30! We were blown away that they do not even start serving until so late. We ended up getting tapas. I got the sweet and sour chicken, which was good, but a very small portion.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to do homework. We got one concert report done, the one on the Spanish opera L’Orfeo which we had seen in
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Today we left Madrid for Barcelona. We woke up extra early to make sure we got to eat a good breakfast before we loaded the bus. We were supposed to load the bus at 8 and lave by 8:30. The plan was to also stop at a caslte/church on the way. We tried to leave on time so that we could make it there before the siesta (which is a very annoying thing in spain from 1-5 where EVERYTHING closes for people to nap). There were apparently being very serious when they said they would leave us if we weren’t there. There were two girls missing from the bus at 8:25. After a phone call to their room, it turns out that they had overslept and had 5 minutes to get down to the bus. Shortly after 8:40, the bus pulled away from the hotel, and the girls were still not there. I felt so bad for them. They would have to figure out how to try to take the train to Barcelona. Neither spoke Spanish and they were both girls. I was pretty worried.
Luckily, the bus had to make a u-turn to go to the highway. When we swung back around on the road it had been about 5 minutes. We passed them walking to the train station! We pulled over shortly after and picked them up. I was so happy that it worked out and everyone made the bus!
The bus ride was very long. We got on the highway and then stopped. Traffic was very bad and I think we only got about 1 km in 2 hours. Needless to say, we missed getting to our church. The first leg lasted for about 4.5 hours. When we finally stopped, I thought I was going to wet myself! (this whole time I was thinking, I wish mer where here so she could make them stop the bus for a potty break). We stopped at a restaurant/gas station. I ordered a hamburger (cause It really looked like the only halfway sanitary thing). I got it and ate around the outside. I still have not gotten used to the rareness of all the meat in Spain. I am still a little weary when I bite into beef that hasn’t been cooked very long. But I am proud of myself for eating things that are different!
We got back on the road we stopped 3 more times. The total trip took a little over 10 hours. I was very tired and ready to get off of the bus. I wasn’t able to really sleep, but I did get some of my art homework nad reading done. I was also thankful for some down time.
We got to the hotel in Barcelona at around 6:45. Once we dropped our stuff off, we had our welcome dinner. For the first course (and what we thought was our only one) we got spaghetti with meat sauce. It was a huge plate of it! Mine was bigger than the guy sitting next to me so I gladly switched. I was only able to get through about half of it when I was stuffed. They came and took our plates away but we remained seated, expecting desert. However, that was not what came. The waiters walked up to our table and proceeded to but down a very very large steak with French fries. We knew that this had to be a mistake. Even one of our professors came over to our table to inquire about it. We had no idea and didn’t know what had happened. Then, they started serving it to the other tables. It was a second course! I could not believe it. I ate several bites of the steak, but was so full! Most everyone just ate a little bit to be polite, but after that spaghetti, it was just impossible to eat more. After, we got a very sweet fruit cocktail.
At dinner we discovered that we are about 1 hour outside of Barcelona. And that everyday, we must take the tram to a train to take us into the city. We have to pay for it so I am kind of bummed about that. Also, the train stops running at midnight, so if we would like to go out, we have to take a pretty expensive cab ride back to the hotel. I think we will just end up staying in the city during the day and the night, because there is not a lot to do around the hotel and no where close to walk to eat. Also, it seems like it is in kind of a sketchy place. Not so sure I will venture our without a boy and at least 4 other people!
After dinner we headed to the room to take showers and do homework. There is a lot of people going out, but it was raining and I felt like I needed to get some work done and head to bed early. Tomorrow we have a very busy day. I am excited about the new city, and the possibility of going to the beach. Although, it has been sooooo cold here! I have been wearing two jackets most everyday in Spain. I clearly did not pack for this cold weather so I am trying to make my pair of pants last a long time! Hopefully it will start to warm up!
Luckily, the bus had to make a u-turn to go to the highway. When we swung back around on the road it had been about 5 minutes. We passed them walking to the train station! We pulled over shortly after and picked them up. I was so happy that it worked out and everyone made the bus!
The bus ride was very long. We got on the highway and then stopped. Traffic was very bad and I think we only got about 1 km in 2 hours. Needless to say, we missed getting to our church. The first leg lasted for about 4.5 hours. When we finally stopped, I thought I was going to wet myself! (this whole time I was thinking, I wish mer where here so she could make them stop the bus for a potty break). We stopped at a restaurant/gas station. I ordered a hamburger (cause It really looked like the only halfway sanitary thing). I got it and ate around the outside. I still have not gotten used to the rareness of all the meat in Spain. I am still a little weary when I bite into beef that hasn’t been cooked very long. But I am proud of myself for eating things that are different!
We got back on the road we stopped 3 more times. The total trip took a little over 10 hours. I was very tired and ready to get off of the bus. I wasn’t able to really sleep, but I did get some of my art homework nad reading done. I was also thankful for some down time.
We got to the hotel in Barcelona at around 6:45. Once we dropped our stuff off, we had our welcome dinner. For the first course (and what we thought was our only one) we got spaghetti with meat sauce. It was a huge plate of it! Mine was bigger than the guy sitting next to me so I gladly switched. I was only able to get through about half of it when I was stuffed. They came and took our plates away but we remained seated, expecting desert. However, that was not what came. The waiters walked up to our table and proceeded to but down a very very large steak with French fries. We knew that this had to be a mistake. Even one of our professors came over to our table to inquire about it. We had no idea and didn’t know what had happened. Then, they started serving it to the other tables. It was a second course! I could not believe it. I ate several bites of the steak, but was so full! Most everyone just ate a little bit to be polite, but after that spaghetti, it was just impossible to eat more. After, we got a very sweet fruit cocktail.
At dinner we discovered that we are about 1 hour outside of Barcelona. And that everyday, we must take the tram to a train to take us into the city. We have to pay for it so I am kind of bummed about that. Also, the train stops running at midnight, so if we would like to go out, we have to take a pretty expensive cab ride back to the hotel. I think we will just end up staying in the city during the day and the night, because there is not a lot to do around the hotel and no where close to walk to eat. Also, it seems like it is in kind of a sketchy place. Not so sure I will venture our without a boy and at least 4 other people!
After dinner we headed to the room to take showers and do homework. There is a lot of people going out, but it was raining and I felt like I needed to get some work done and head to bed early. Tomorrow we have a very busy day. I am excited about the new city, and the possibility of going to the beach. Although, it has been sooooo cold here! I have been wearing two jackets most everyday in Spain. I clearly did not pack for this cold weather so I am trying to make my pair of pants last a long time! Hopefully it will start to warm up!
Monday, May 26, 2008
After the usual 7 am breakfast (from which me and Amanda put some great muffins in our book bags for later) we were off on our first day trip! We headed to Toledo, Spain, about an hour outside of Madrid. This city has been by far the best part of the trip so far! We got to see what a really old city looks like! After getting off the bus, we had a walking tour around the city. It was amazing and unlike anything else that I have ever seen! The city was full of very steep hills and little cobblestone streets. The pictures of the city are the most gorgeous that I have ever seen in my life! The view from the city was just spectacular! I really cannot describe how breathtaking it was (so I guess you will just have to wait and see all of my pictures)!
At the end of our walking tour, we stopped by a building where the tomb of Count Orgaz is held. This small chapel has a fresco about the tomb which we studied in our Art history class. It was painted by El Greco several hundred years ago. After we saw the tomb, we had a couple of hours to walk around the city. 12 of us stopped in a small pub to grab some lunch. I think that this was by far the best meal that I have had the whole trip! I had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and I don’t know why, but it was so good!
Also, I was able to get my souvenir for the country of Spain! I am on a missing to get one piece of jewelry in each country I visit! I found some pretty cheap earrings that I love! We got to walk around for a very short while after that before heading back to Madrid. Once we arrived back in Madrid, we headed to an internet café to try to work on our concert report and check email. I didn’t get that much done, but I loved loved loved having internet! I had felt so useless until that point without it. It is kind of a strange feeling not using cell phones or the internet. I quickly ran back to the hotel to shower before our night began!
That night, we met in the lobby to go to a Flamico concert. After the long walk there, we had about 20 minutes to grab dinner before the concert. We opted to go to a McDonalds since it was close and we thought it would be fast. After many meals, we have discovered that everywhere in Spain has very slow service. We hurriedly got happy meals which I stuffed in my purse. We got to the concert where I ate my cheeseburger, French fries, and apple. It was so delicious! I never thought I would think McDonalds was so good. But it was! It was really good.
The Flaminco concert was a very different experience. It was neat seeing all the very technical performers. The guitarists and all the singers were very good. There was also so very interesting new instruments. I was a little disappointed though because I was expecting some really cool dancers. After intermission, we took our seats again. This time, some dancers came out! We ended up seeing three different dancers. The first was a woman who was by far the best! I don’t think that I have ever seen someone move their feet so quickly! The next was a man, who I am still not that sure about. He was obviously a very technical dancer, but it was very strange to watch him for some reason. The last was a woman who, while not as good as the first, had a pretty cool dress. However, at this piont I think I, as well as the rest of the group, was so over the flamico concert. It was approaching 3 hours, and at 11, most had still not eaten any dinner! When it was finally over, I was so thankful for that McDonalds! J
After the concert, we stopped by a local supermarket and bought some very cheap wine. We went up to the solarium on the 8th floor of our hotel and there a large group had some wine while taking in some Spanish air! We decided to head out downtown again for our last night. On the first night we had spotted a Laser Karaoke bar where we decided to head back to. I opted not to get anything to drink (in order to save some money) but I still had a great time! They had most all the songs in English so our group had a very wide variety of things to chose from. I got up on stage just once, but I had so much fun watching all the other people cut up. We also met some locals who were very eager to show off their English! Our newest friend was Jesus, whose favorite thing to say in the whole wide world was “hello, my name is Jesus. I am from America!” I don’t think that he has even ever visited America, but it was very enjoyable listening to all the English phrases he knew!
We called it a night and headed back to the hotel. Luckily we had already packed, but we decided to go ahead and shower. Our group has made up rules for the bus since we are going to be on it for so long! One of them was that everyone needs to shower before boarding the bus (to avoid people staying out all night and then reeking of alcohol the next day). Me and Amanda’s clothes had the stench of smoke so we did the best with that before heading off to bed for a couple hours of sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day with the bus ride to Barcelona!
At the end of our walking tour, we stopped by a building where the tomb of Count Orgaz is held. This small chapel has a fresco about the tomb which we studied in our Art history class. It was painted by El Greco several hundred years ago. After we saw the tomb, we had a couple of hours to walk around the city. 12 of us stopped in a small pub to grab some lunch. I think that this was by far the best meal that I have had the whole trip! I had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and I don’t know why, but it was so good!
Also, I was able to get my souvenir for the country of Spain! I am on a missing to get one piece of jewelry in each country I visit! I found some pretty cheap earrings that I love! We got to walk around for a very short while after that before heading back to Madrid. Once we arrived back in Madrid, we headed to an internet café to try to work on our concert report and check email. I didn’t get that much done, but I loved loved loved having internet! I had felt so useless until that point without it. It is kind of a strange feeling not using cell phones or the internet. I quickly ran back to the hotel to shower before our night began!
That night, we met in the lobby to go to a Flamico concert. After the long walk there, we had about 20 minutes to grab dinner before the concert. We opted to go to a McDonalds since it was close and we thought it would be fast. After many meals, we have discovered that everywhere in Spain has very slow service. We hurriedly got happy meals which I stuffed in my purse. We got to the concert where I ate my cheeseburger, French fries, and apple. It was so delicious! I never thought I would think McDonalds was so good. But it was! It was really good.
The Flaminco concert was a very different experience. It was neat seeing all the very technical performers. The guitarists and all the singers were very good. There was also so very interesting new instruments. I was a little disappointed though because I was expecting some really cool dancers. After intermission, we took our seats again. This time, some dancers came out! We ended up seeing three different dancers. The first was a woman who was by far the best! I don’t think that I have ever seen someone move their feet so quickly! The next was a man, who I am still not that sure about. He was obviously a very technical dancer, but it was very strange to watch him for some reason. The last was a woman who, while not as good as the first, had a pretty cool dress. However, at this piont I think I, as well as the rest of the group, was so over the flamico concert. It was approaching 3 hours, and at 11, most had still not eaten any dinner! When it was finally over, I was so thankful for that McDonalds! J
After the concert, we stopped by a local supermarket and bought some very cheap wine. We went up to the solarium on the 8th floor of our hotel and there a large group had some wine while taking in some Spanish air! We decided to head out downtown again for our last night. On the first night we had spotted a Laser Karaoke bar where we decided to head back to. I opted not to get anything to drink (in order to save some money) but I still had a great time! They had most all the songs in English so our group had a very wide variety of things to chose from. I got up on stage just once, but I had so much fun watching all the other people cut up. We also met some locals who were very eager to show off their English! Our newest friend was Jesus, whose favorite thing to say in the whole wide world was “hello, my name is Jesus. I am from America!” I don’t think that he has even ever visited America, but it was very enjoyable listening to all the English phrases he knew!
We called it a night and headed back to the hotel. Luckily we had already packed, but we decided to go ahead and shower. Our group has made up rules for the bus since we are going to be on it for so long! One of them was that everyone needs to shower before boarding the bus (to avoid people staying out all night and then reeking of alcohol the next day). Me and Amanda’s clothes had the stench of smoke so we did the best with that before heading off to bed for a couple hours of sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day with the bus ride to Barcelona!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
My alarm awoke me entirely too early this morning! We went down to breakfast around 7:30. There was a very wide array of food there. Apparently, most Spaniards drink wine and champagne with breakfast (which I opted not to do). I instead had some fruit, toast, and cereal. I also had some cheese eggs, but most like everything else here, things are just not cooked nearly as long. I did not get bacon or sausage (I like to try new things, but it really looked like it might still be bleeding).
The first outing of the day was to the Prado Museum. This Museum houses some very famous works. I was a little sad that we did not get to see the Goya exhibit though since it cost extra money and it had a very long line. Nonetheless, we saw some amazing works of art! It was so neat being able to see all the pieces that we had been studying about. We had a very short time in this museum since we still had to grab a very quick lunch before heading to the next museum.
A group of about 12 of us went to a small pub across the street from our hotel. Ordering was much harder than any of us had expected. We all just ended up getting hamburgers because is was the easiest thing that we knew we could order. After receiving our food, we not only noticed once again that things are not as well done but also that we did not know what type of meat was in a hamburger. I think we determined that it might have been ground ham. It was not the most delicious thing that I have ever tasted, but I ate it very quickly and happily because I was so hungry at this point!
We then headed to a museum called the Renia Sophia. I was most excited about viewing several works by Picasso and Salvador Dali (although the museum was so large I doubt we could have gotten to see half of the works). The paintings and sculptures were much more than I could have ever expected! Not only the colors, but also the sheer magnitude of some of the paintings were astronomical! One of the Picasso works, the Guernica, was probably about 25 feet wide, from floor to ceiling! I felt so cool now that I am able to say that I have been able to see such amazing things as Picasso paintings in person!
When we were ready to had back to the museum after dinner, we were greeted by something very unpleasant. It had been drizzling throughout the day, but when we got out of the museum, there was a torrential downpour! We ran as fast as we could through the rain, trying to get back to some shelter. We waited in the hotel for a short time while the rain let up.
Amanda and I decided to run some errands. We walked up to a large plaza about 15 minutes away ( up some very steep hills) to go get our 15 minutes of free internet from the tourism center. After a couple of quick emails, the hunt for phone cards and mascara began (my mascara somehow got lost between the second plane and the hotel L ). We found some very cheap phone cards (with the help of a random girl who spoke very good English and Spanish who was passing through the phone store). Unfortunately, the mascara did not have the same story. I finally found some, only to see that it was priced at 24 euros (about $38!!!!!!!) I knew things were expensive, but I thought that was too steep for my budget! I passed on that and have been using a little of Amanda’s until I find something a little cheaper.
We went back to the hotel to quickly shower before going to a Spanish Opera! We walked with the professors (about 30 minutes) to get to the concert hall. While we were waiting for the rest of the group, I jokingly asked one of our leaders if me and Amanda could have the best seats. The tickets were all in Spanish, but our leader let us pick out our tickets, so I quickly grabbed the tickets with the lowest numbers on them. Turns out that it was a great move!
We walked with the rest of our group up to the 6th level, only to find out that me and Amanda were sitting much closer! We proceeded to find out that we got tickets in a box just two levels up from the stage. The seats were amazing! While the rest of the group was sitting in stadium seats over twice the distance we were (with obstructed views) we had a great view. I felt just like pretty woman! There was another guy from our group with us, named Chris, and then an Older Spanish couple ( who got really into the opera). We found out later that while the rest of our group got 6 Euro tickets, ours were at a face value of 65 euros (over $100)! The show was sold out and people offered to buy tickets from us, but I am happy we kept those seats!
The opera was hard to understand with it being in all Spanish. However, after reading the program, I got the general gist of the plot. I still am very undecided about the opera. I think it is definitely something that you have to learn to appreciate. It was slow moving and very long, but it was an amazing experience!
I got in bed super early to try to catch up on sleep. Overall, it was such a different and great experience than anything else that I have ever done!
The first outing of the day was to the Prado Museum. This Museum houses some very famous works. I was a little sad that we did not get to see the Goya exhibit though since it cost extra money and it had a very long line. Nonetheless, we saw some amazing works of art! It was so neat being able to see all the pieces that we had been studying about. We had a very short time in this museum since we still had to grab a very quick lunch before heading to the next museum.
A group of about 12 of us went to a small pub across the street from our hotel. Ordering was much harder than any of us had expected. We all just ended up getting hamburgers because is was the easiest thing that we knew we could order. After receiving our food, we not only noticed once again that things are not as well done but also that we did not know what type of meat was in a hamburger. I think we determined that it might have been ground ham. It was not the most delicious thing that I have ever tasted, but I ate it very quickly and happily because I was so hungry at this point!
We then headed to a museum called the Renia Sophia. I was most excited about viewing several works by Picasso and Salvador Dali (although the museum was so large I doubt we could have gotten to see half of the works). The paintings and sculptures were much more than I could have ever expected! Not only the colors, but also the sheer magnitude of some of the paintings were astronomical! One of the Picasso works, the Guernica, was probably about 25 feet wide, from floor to ceiling! I felt so cool now that I am able to say that I have been able to see such amazing things as Picasso paintings in person!
When we were ready to had back to the museum after dinner, we were greeted by something very unpleasant. It had been drizzling throughout the day, but when we got out of the museum, there was a torrential downpour! We ran as fast as we could through the rain, trying to get back to some shelter. We waited in the hotel for a short time while the rain let up.
Amanda and I decided to run some errands. We walked up to a large plaza about 15 minutes away ( up some very steep hills) to go get our 15 minutes of free internet from the tourism center. After a couple of quick emails, the hunt for phone cards and mascara began (my mascara somehow got lost between the second plane and the hotel L ). We found some very cheap phone cards (with the help of a random girl who spoke very good English and Spanish who was passing through the phone store). Unfortunately, the mascara did not have the same story. I finally found some, only to see that it was priced at 24 euros (about $38!!!!!!!) I knew things were expensive, but I thought that was too steep for my budget! I passed on that and have been using a little of Amanda’s until I find something a little cheaper.
We went back to the hotel to quickly shower before going to a Spanish Opera! We walked with the professors (about 30 minutes) to get to the concert hall. While we were waiting for the rest of the group, I jokingly asked one of our leaders if me and Amanda could have the best seats. The tickets were all in Spanish, but our leader let us pick out our tickets, so I quickly grabbed the tickets with the lowest numbers on them. Turns out that it was a great move!
We walked with the rest of our group up to the 6th level, only to find out that me and Amanda were sitting much closer! We proceeded to find out that we got tickets in a box just two levels up from the stage. The seats were amazing! While the rest of the group was sitting in stadium seats over twice the distance we were (with obstructed views) we had a great view. I felt just like pretty woman! There was another guy from our group with us, named Chris, and then an Older Spanish couple ( who got really into the opera). We found out later that while the rest of our group got 6 Euro tickets, ours were at a face value of 65 euros (over $100)! The show was sold out and people offered to buy tickets from us, but I am happy we kept those seats!
The opera was hard to understand with it being in all Spanish. However, after reading the program, I got the general gist of the plot. I still am very undecided about the opera. I think it is definitely something that you have to learn to appreciate. It was slow moving and very long, but it was an amazing experience!
I got in bed super early to try to catch up on sleep. Overall, it was such a different and great experience than anything else that I have ever done!
Friday, May 23, 2008 / Saturday, May 24, 2008
Today was the first day on my trip! I was so excited but at the same time really stressed out. I headed to the airport at one (after a quick stop at REI to get a much needed new jacket). While checking in, I was able to meet Amanda’s parents and her little sister. The seem like a great family and I was that much more exited to be traveling with Amanda.
When we got up to the counter, we started talking to the woman checking us in. She asked us why there were so many people traveling to Madrid and we told her about the study abroad program. Suddenly, she turned to my father and asked him if he would like to walk me to my gate. This was a total surprise! After running to the car to get some drivers licenses, both of my parents were able to go through security with me! Unfortunately, the woman who checked Amanda in was not as nice. Her parents, nor anyone else’s, were able to come with us. Apart from getting to stay with my parents longer, we were also all able to go into the Crown Room (our very favorite places) to get a quick glass of wine and some snacks!
After saying goodbye to my parents, I board the plane. I was a little frustrated that I was sitting in a middle seat, but that quickly changed. I was able to sit next to two very nice girls from our group. (Not fat smelly guys like I had feared)! Hilary, Kayla, and I talked a good bit on the flight over. I tried to sleep, but even with the glass of wine from the crown room, the ambien, and the half a glass of wine with dinner, I was only able to sleep for about 2 hours.
We landed in Amsterdam about 7 am local time. We had just the right amount of time to get through security and grab a quick croissant before boarding (or a quick beer in the case of most of the boys).
While standing in line to board, a man with dread locks started talking to me about my travels. I told him that myself (along with the majority of the small plane that we were flying on) were traveling through Europe for school. I asked him about his meaning of travel and I got a quick, and creepy, response that besides “having the pleasure” of meeting me there that day, that he was in a band. I assumed that it was a small band. He said that he was had preformed in Amsterdam the night before, performing in Madrid that night, and then Barcelona the next night. I asked him if I had heard of his band. Turns out he was pretty famous! He was the man who wrote a popular song a while back called “Freak Out!” I am pretty sure that the people most excited about this would be people my parents age cause no one else seemed to know the song. But I sure was pretty excited!
On this flight, I again was sitting between Hilary and Kayla (we so happened to be in alphabetical order). I was able to sleep about an hour more on this flight.
After a total of about 15 hours of traveling, I had finally made it into Madrid! We grabbed our bags and found the bus. We were presently surprised having a very new and nice and clean Mercedes Benz Bus. We had a very short ride to the hotel, which was very centrally located.
We were a little ahead of schedule, so the hotel had not made our keys yet. Amanda and I ended up being one of the last to receive keys, and therefore had no time to eat before the walking tour. That was a little sad, but I was more than ready to go and explore!
The group walked for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We saw some amazing places around the city! I was very excited and took a ton of pictures! After the tour, we were set on our own for a couple of hours before the welcome dinner. We walked around trying to find a phone store in order to get a SIM card. That didn’t really work out, but Amanda and I got a good sense of the city. We made it back to our hotel and had about 2 hours to get ready before heading to the welcome dinner. We had a huge meal there! The first course was a salad with tuna which turns out to be a very delicious combination. We then had one of the biggest chickens that I had ever seen! We each got our own chicken in a great sauce with sides of French fries. The was followed by a very rich chocolate desert. After heading back to the hotel, several people decided to meet and try to go out for a little while.
Even though Amanda was tired, I decided to go to try to meet some new people. I went to someone’s room while we all had a glass of wine before heading out. We meet the group in the lobby (which ended up being I think about 25 people). We wandered around for a good bit (with that many people, it was hard to find a place everyone would like to go to). We ended up in a small bar where we had the whole basement floor to ourselves. There I got one drink (I didn’t think I could afford much more since the drinks were 6 euros a piece!). We called it a night relatively early and headed back to the hotel. I was in bed a little after 2 for some long awaited sleep!
When we got up to the counter, we started talking to the woman checking us in. She asked us why there were so many people traveling to Madrid and we told her about the study abroad program. Suddenly, she turned to my father and asked him if he would like to walk me to my gate. This was a total surprise! After running to the car to get some drivers licenses, both of my parents were able to go through security with me! Unfortunately, the woman who checked Amanda in was not as nice. Her parents, nor anyone else’s, were able to come with us. Apart from getting to stay with my parents longer, we were also all able to go into the Crown Room (our very favorite places) to get a quick glass of wine and some snacks!
After saying goodbye to my parents, I board the plane. I was a little frustrated that I was sitting in a middle seat, but that quickly changed. I was able to sit next to two very nice girls from our group. (Not fat smelly guys like I had feared)! Hilary, Kayla, and I talked a good bit on the flight over. I tried to sleep, but even with the glass of wine from the crown room, the ambien, and the half a glass of wine with dinner, I was only able to sleep for about 2 hours.
We landed in Amsterdam about 7 am local time. We had just the right amount of time to get through security and grab a quick croissant before boarding (or a quick beer in the case of most of the boys).
While standing in line to board, a man with dread locks started talking to me about my travels. I told him that myself (along with the majority of the small plane that we were flying on) were traveling through Europe for school. I asked him about his meaning of travel and I got a quick, and creepy, response that besides “having the pleasure” of meeting me there that day, that he was in a band. I assumed that it was a small band. He said that he was had preformed in Amsterdam the night before, performing in Madrid that night, and then Barcelona the next night. I asked him if I had heard of his band. Turns out he was pretty famous! He was the man who wrote a popular song a while back called “Freak Out!” I am pretty sure that the people most excited about this would be people my parents age cause no one else seemed to know the song. But I sure was pretty excited!
On this flight, I again was sitting between Hilary and Kayla (we so happened to be in alphabetical order). I was able to sleep about an hour more on this flight.
After a total of about 15 hours of traveling, I had finally made it into Madrid! We grabbed our bags and found the bus. We were presently surprised having a very new and nice and clean Mercedes Benz Bus. We had a very short ride to the hotel, which was very centrally located.
We were a little ahead of schedule, so the hotel had not made our keys yet. Amanda and I ended up being one of the last to receive keys, and therefore had no time to eat before the walking tour. That was a little sad, but I was more than ready to go and explore!
The group walked for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We saw some amazing places around the city! I was very excited and took a ton of pictures! After the tour, we were set on our own for a couple of hours before the welcome dinner. We walked around trying to find a phone store in order to get a SIM card. That didn’t really work out, but Amanda and I got a good sense of the city. We made it back to our hotel and had about 2 hours to get ready before heading to the welcome dinner. We had a huge meal there! The first course was a salad with tuna which turns out to be a very delicious combination. We then had one of the biggest chickens that I had ever seen! We each got our own chicken in a great sauce with sides of French fries. The was followed by a very rich chocolate desert. After heading back to the hotel, several people decided to meet and try to go out for a little while.
Even though Amanda was tired, I decided to go to try to meet some new people. I went to someone’s room while we all had a glass of wine before heading out. We meet the group in the lobby (which ended up being I think about 25 people). We wandered around for a good bit (with that many people, it was hard to find a place everyone would like to go to). We ended up in a small bar where we had the whole basement floor to ourselves. There I got one drink (I didn’t think I could afford much more since the drinks were 6 euros a piece!). We called it a night relatively early and headed back to the hotel. I was in bed a little after 2 for some long awaited sleep!
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